The Next Great War: Salem's Downfall
by DairyProduceBasedCultLeader
Summary: The road to defeating Salem is long and perilous. A fact that was accepted by everyone who witnessed the events at Haven. But that road may now be a lot shorter and a lot safer, thanks to an unexpected encounter on the road to Vale. Salem wanted a war, now she might just get one.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Ambush

It was the day after the battle for Haven, Team RWBY along with Qrow and Oscar had been walking for hours on the long journey back to Vale. They were exhausted from the walk and from how hard they had fought during the battle. They were walking in complete silence so they could hear if there were any Grimm approaching, all that could be heard was the sound of their footsteps and the noises of the forest.

Out of nowhere, four people appeared in front of them in a cloud of black smoke. The people were dressed completely in black and they wore masks similar to the white fang. One of them reached behind his back and drew a large hammer, another pulled a crossbow off of their back, the third one drew two knives from around their waist and the final one extended blades from gauntlets on each arm.

Team RWBY drew their weapons in response, and Qrow did the same. Ozpin took control of Oscar and started twirling his cane. The masked man with the Hammer sighed and said "I'm sorry about this, it's nothing personal".

Qrow ran forward at full speed read to attack, but as he reached his target one of them grabbed hold of him and they both vanished in a cloud of smoke, before reappearing in the air above everyone else. Before, Qrow could get his bearings he hit the ground hard slipping into unconsciousness.

"You really shouldn't have done that" Ozpin said as Oscar flew at the attackers with his cane twirling in his hand. He reached them but the one with the hammer grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the ground. Oscar and Qrow now both lay unmoving on the ground, so the girls joined the fight.

Ruby used her semblance to run at the one with the knives, she caught him in the stomach with the blade of Crescent Rose and dragged him along with her. His head hung down, so Ruby came to a stop allowing his lifeless body to hit the ground. She turned to get back to her teammates, but her legs were swept out from under her and she landed on her back. She tried to roll away but the man with the knives climbed on top of her, pinning her down and holding his blades to her throat. He smiled at her and quietly said "Stop fighting, I don't want to hurt you."

Meanwhile, Yang was throwing punches at the man with the hammer, only for her hits to be deflected by the weapon. But using her prosthetic arm she managed to hit hard enough to send him flying backwards when he tried to block the hit. With him out of the way, she was able to see that Ruby was in danger. Her eyes went red and she exploded into a fiery rage, slamming her fists into the ground she launched herself at Ruby's attacker.

Yang slammed into him fists first and sent him flying, there was a loud crack as his rib-cage shattered from the impact. Not letting up she launched herself at him again, only for him to stand straight up and sidestep the flying ball of rage. She managed to correct herself upon landing, and turned to find him standing right behind her. He laughed and said "Impressive, but you can't win. Just give u-". He didn't get to finish his sentence as he was being pummeled by Yang, each blow caused catastrophic damage to the man's body. But every time a punch landed, the wound immediately healed. As Yang continued, she was getting increasingly angry at her inability to win the fight. Eventually, Ember Celica started making a clicking noise as she had expended all of her ammo in the fight. She kept hitting him for a while longer but she was completely exhausted and was on the verge of collapse. She just couldn't beat him.

"How...are…you...not...dead?" Yang asked while breathing heavily. He didn't answer her question but he rolled her over and pinned her down with the twin blades pressed against her throat. He could have killed her but he just sat there on top of her, with a smile on his face.

At that point, Blake and the teleporting attacker were locked in a fight. Neither of the could land a hit, every time they got close they met a cloud of smoke or a shadow clone. The attacker would appear behind Blake only for Blake to flip over them, but they were gone again before Blake had time to strike. The two of them were constantly shrouded in black smoke from all the teleporting, and Blake had to rely on her other senses as she couldn't see. It went on for so long that Blake was almost completely drained and she was starting to make mistakes. She lost her grip on Gambol Shroud at one point, and in that split second her attacker grabbed it and teleported away. Unarmed and too tired to fight she dropped to her knees and accepted her fate. She felt one gauntlet-ed arm lock around her neck and a blade poking into the side of her head.

Tears rolled down her face as she accepted the fact that she had failed her team once again. She waited for the killing blow but it never came, what came was a whisper in her ear. A female voice whispered so quietly that only Blakes sensitive cat ears could pick it up. "Today, is not your day to die. I have no desire to kill you and I wasn't paid to kill you. There is no honor in killing a brave warrior, like an animal."

While Yang and Blake had been defeated, Weiss was still fighting. Or at least she was trying to, she couldn't fight what she couldn't see. Her opponent was completely invisible and occasional crossbow bolts were the only indication that they were even there. Weiss had surrounded herself in glyphs to stop these bolts but that was all she was able to do. She could see her friends failing and she knew that she needed to deal with this quickly and help them. So she formulated a plan for finding and defeating her invisible enemy.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked hoping that a response would help her find her attacker. Shockingly, this plan actually worked as a voice came from behind her, he said "We were paid to". Weiss now knew exactly where he was so, she spun round pointing Myrtenaster at him and allowing the glyphs around her to disappear. She was about to trap him in ice, when her weapon was yanked out of her hand and she was shoved to the floor.

Weiss' attacker appeared again with Myrtenaster in one hand and a loaded crossbow in the other hand. He pointed both weapons at her head and said "Smart move, but you played right into my hand. Literally, you handed me your weapon and let your defenses down."

Weiss could have fought back from there, if she hadn't given everything she could muster during the engagement. She tried to use her semblance but couldn't even get a glyph to appear, she had burned herself out just lay there breathing heavily waiting for either a crossbow bolt or her own sword to end her life.

At this point, Ruby was the only one left standing. So far, her speed had allowed her to stay out of harm's way. She saw Weiss fall to the floor and ran over to help, she watched in horror as she saw what was now pointed at Weiss' head. "Noooo!" she yelled as she charged towards the man with the crossbow. She was so focused on saving Weiss that she didn't notice the strong hand reaching out to grab her. The force of being grabbed by the throat at the speed she was traveling almost killed Ruby but her Aura managed to save her.

Dangling off the ground, she finally had a chance to take in what was going on around her. Her Uncle Qrow and her new friend Oscar were still lying unconscious. Weiss had Myrtenaster and a crossbow aimed at her head, Blake was in a headlock with a blade pointed at her head, and worst of all Yang was lying flat out with a man pressing two knives against her throat.

All of this was too much for her to take and she summoned her Maiden Powers, but before she could use them a powerful punch from the man holding her knocked her out and stopped her. Not even the power of a Maiden could save them now.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Death

With team RWBY defeated, a man walked out of the forest. He was clapping and laughing maniacally, it was Adam Taurus. "Well done catching them for me, I knew they couldn't fight". The four attackers brought the girls over to Adam, and the one holding Ruby said "Actually, they put up a hell of a fight, but they couldn't beat us".

Adam ignored the comment and walked up to Yang, she glared at him with pure hatred but remained silent. A slight smile appeared on his face and he said "I knew I should have taken more than your arm, and I assure you. This time, I will". He then turned and looked over at Ruby, his smile grew bigger before he turned back to Yang.

With malice in his voice he said "She means a lot to you, so I'm going to take her from you. I'll let you watch and then I will come back and finish what I started". Yang's eyes were the deepest shade of red they had ever been, but she couldn't do anything to stop Adam.

Walking away from Yang, Adam went over to Weiss. He looked down at her for a while, and then said "Look at this, a completely helpless Schnee. Oh, I'm going to enjoy this." That was all he said before walking over to Blake. "You aren't going to get away with this Adam, it's over for you!" shouted Blake, before spitting in his face. He just laughed at her and said "You know what my love, I will get away with this. We could have done this together but you decided to betray me, I gave you so many chances to come back to me. But you no longer have a choice, you have caused me so much trouble that I'm going to have to deal with you. So, I'm going to kill all of your little friends and then I'm going to flay you alive and keep your skin as a trophy".

"You never said anything about killing!" shouted the man holding Ruby. In response Adam drew Wilt and said "If you have a problem with that, you will have to die too." Adam then swung around ready to kill the one who had questioned him, but his target dodged the blow. Adam lost his balance and fell to the floor, he tried to get up but a crossbow bolt through his shoulder made him fall again. He was now lying on his back and he watched as a hammer slammed down onto his right leg, it pushed his Aura to the verge of breaking.

But then a shotgun blast came from the end of the hammer, it shattered his Aura and just about blew his leg off. The man with the knives then came running at him, but Adam was able to get his sword in the way to protect himself. Wilt impaled the attacker but it didn't even slow him down. He allowed the blade to travel right through him, which also allowed him to get close enough to use his knives. Without hesitation the man used both of his knives to slash Adam's throat. And with that, Adam Taurus was dead.

"No, you will have to die!" shouted the one that Adam attacked. He then turned around to see an exhausted team RWBY lying on the ground in a state of shock. He knelt down in front of them and removed his mask, revealing the face of a young man with brown eyes. "I'm so, so sorry about that. I'm sure you don't believe me, but we didn't know what he was going to do. If it's any consolation, you all put up a hell of a fight".

A now conscious Ruby looked him in the eyes and said "Even though you did this to us, you stopped him. That's all that matters to me." She smiled weakly "I'm Ruby by the way, Ruby Rose", The man stretched out a hand and said "Nice to meet you Ruby, I'm Samson. Samson Malleus." They shook hands and he helped her to her feet.

"You killed him, you actually killed him!" exclaimed Blake as she realized what had just happened. The one who killed Adam turned around with Wilt still sticking through him, and said "It seems I did, is that a problem?"

Blake shook her head and said "It's just that, I can't believe that monster is finally dead. What you just did, it saved so many lives. Thank you." He pulled off his mask and lowered his hood revealing a set of black cat ears, black hair and red eyes. "You're welcome I suppose, I never liked him anyway."

Blake's eyes widened "You're a Faunus!" she exclaimed and he looked confused but nodded in response "What does that have to do with anything?" he asked. Blake thought for a moment then said "Nothing, I just didn't expect a Faunus to be the one to kill him...wait, how are you okay there's a sword in you?" He shrugged and then pulled it out "That's my semblance, doing its job. Hence why I'm not dead after the number your blonde friend did on me" he paused for a moment then introduced himself "I'm Clayton by the way" Blake stood up and said "I'm Blake, and I want to thank you Clayton for not hurting Yang".

"Blake Belladonna?" asked the woman she'd been fighting. "Yes, that's me, why do you ask?" replied Blake. The woman removed her mask and lowered her hood showing that she too was a black-haired cat faunus "I've heard of you before somewhere, just figured that you might be her. Listen, I'm sorry for what I did to you. Oh, and by the way I'm Amber." Blake walked over to her, and quietly said "Thank you for sparing me, and thank you for reassuring me. I know you could have killed me so easily."

Yang tried to stand but she couldn't, she had expended far too much energy during the fight. Clayton walked over and sat down next to her, she turned to him and said "You should be dead, you tried to kill Ruby. I tried to kill you, part of me still wants to kill you."

Clayton nodded and said "Look, I completely understand and I feel terrible about it. So you can try to kill me again if you want, but please let me do one thing for you. To show how sorry I am." Yang let out a slight laugh "I'd like to see you do something that makes me want to kill you less, killing Adam was a start but I still don't like you".

Clayton pulled out his knives and said "You already know what my semblance is but, I have this trick I can do. I can channel my ability through these to temporarily bring things back to life and heal people. Now, I overheard that he cut your arm off, and I'm sure you'd love to get your revenge. So, how about I use these to bring him back for a while, just so you can give him a taste of his own medicine."

Yang thought about what he had said a smile formed on her face "If you can do that for me, I think I can forgive you. I mean you gave us a good scare, but we're still alive, you killed Adam, and you survived what I did to you" she said. This made Clayton smile and stand up, he extended a hand and pulled her to her feet "Shall we?" he asked as he helped Yang over to Adam's body.

The man who had been fighting Weiss revealed himself to have a blonde hair and blue eyes, he looked to Weiss like a more attractive and well-built version of Jaune. He crouched down next to her and said "I never aimed at you, you know. Well I did but only at the very end there. I mean I didn't have any intention of hurting you, but also you are far too hot to kill." Weiss' blushed a little but she maintained an angry expression.

She looked him in the eyes and said "The fact you drew that thing at all, is bad enough and then you take Myrtenaster from me. Normally, you would suffer my wrath" her anger faded and a small smile appeared "but for what you did to Adam, and for that compliment, I can't be mad at you...what's your name?". He winked at her and introduced himself "The name's Rex, what's yours beautiful?" Blushing again Weiss said "My name is Weiss, Weiss Schnee." Rex's eyes widened and his jaw dropped "Schnee as in the dust company?" he asked. Weiss nodded and Rex was lost for words, he couldn't believe that the girl he had been fighting and then flirting with was a Schnee.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Who Trained You?

Qrow and Oscar had watched these events unfold, they were both badly concussed and they had been helpless to stop Adam when he arrived. But the threat had been dealt with, and everyone seemed to be getting along now. One of their attackers was flirting with Weiss, another was having a quiet conversation with Blake, the one that had taken Oscar down was talking to Ruby, and disturbingly the last one was stabbing the corpse of Adam while Yang sliced Adam's arm off with his own sword.

Oscar with Ozpin controlling him, walked into the middle of the group and coughed to get their attention. He said "Ladies and gentlemen, I don't fully understand what just happened. But it would appear that you just killed one of the world's most wanted men." Turning to Samson, he "May I ask, where you were trained?" he asked.

"Well, out here I suppose, we haven't been to an academy or anything" responded Samson while shrugging his shoulders.

"Who trained you then?" Ozpin asked, still wanting to know how they had become so skilled without attending an academy. Samson hesitated for a moment, not sure if he should reveal the truth. He sighed, feeling like he owed Ozpin an explanation "We were all trained by Raven Branwen."

With the exception of Samson's accomplices, everyone gasped at what he said. "That can't be right, my sister doesn't train anyone. If she really trained you, we would be dead already".

Samson eyes widened "You're Raven's brother?" he asked, Qrow nodded and said "Yeah, unfortunately I am." They all stood in silence for a moment before Yang spoke up "My mom trained you. That evil bitch wants nothing to do with her own flesh and blood, but she trained you." Clayton placed his hand on Yang's shoulder and said "She didn't mention she had a daughter and for the record, we agree that she's an evil bitch. So, we left her and went freelance."

Ozpin then said "I'd like to discuss your training and the events of today, but that can wait for now. We really must get going, I would like you to accompany us. You have impressive skills and we could really use people like you, you are destined for greater things if you agree".

Samson thought for a moment before speaking "We may be up for that and we probably owe you the help. But first of all, I need to know what you are asking us to do, and I also need to discuss it with my team."

Ozpin sighed "Well, I suppose it is a big thing I'm asking of you. So, I shall explain… We are on our way to Vale with an important artifact. The survival of everything and everyone may depend on the success of our quest, so we need as much help as we can get to return there. Then we may also need you to assist in the fight against a great threat, the one who rules the Grimm… Now I need your answer as soon as possible, so please discuss this among yourselves."

Samson nodded and walked over to one side, followed quickly by Clayton, Amber, and Rex.

Clayton spoke first "Sounds like they could really use our help here, and after what we did I think it's only fair that we go along with it. We can always slip away later, if things get out of hand."

Amber was the next to speak "I mean, we could save them a lot of time. I know it probably won't be good for me, but I could get them to where they were going. We may be a long way from Vale, but I know I can get there. I'll need to rest up before and after we go, but if this is as important as that old guy in the kid's body says. I'm up for it."

Samson then said "Well I think we should help them out with this, we do owe them. But we are a team, so it's really down to Rex to decide what we do."

Rex shrugged and said "Well that Schnee girl is pretty hot, and I'm down to go wherever she goes. Plus, all three of you want to help them, so who am I to say no." All four of them nodded and Samson said "Well, in that case I'll let him know that we're in."

The group walked back over to Ozpin "Well, what do you say?" asked Ozpin. Samson smiled at him and said "We all want to help you guys out, so we will be coming with you. But it gets better than that, if you're willing to wait until tomorrow. Amber can get all of us to Vale instantly, she just needs to rest up and prepare herself."

A slight smile appeared on Oscar's face, and Ozpin said "In that case, it would be foolish of me to refuse. But is there anywhere we can stay overnight, it's too dangerous to stay out in the open?" Samson nodded to Ozpin and said "We have a camp not far from here, it isn't the nicest but it's fairly safe and it's free"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Rise of Bumblebee

While Ozpin and Samson were talking, the RWBY girls were having their own discussion. "Is everyone okay, we really got messed up back there?" asked a concerned Ruby. "I'm exhausted, but I'll get over it. Plus, I got my own back on Adam, so I'm basically fine" replied Yang. Then Weiss said "I'm still shaken but it's my pride that was hurt. The audacity of the blonde one to attack me, steal my weapon and then flirt with me." Yang and Ruby laughed at Weiss' comments, but they went quiet when Blake spoke. She said "Guys, we could have died today. How can you be laughing about it, they may have saved us from Adam but I don't think we should trust them so easily. They seem nice now, but clearly, they're capable of a lot, so let's not get too friendly with them. Not yet at least." the other girls all nodded knowing that Blake was right, these people were dangerous.

"I love all of you so much, I was so scared that I was going to lose you. I'm so happy that you're all okay, but I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I wasn't good enough this time, but I Ruby Rose, swear that I will never let anything like that happen ever again." said a serious sounding Ruby. "Thank you, Ruby, but don't doubt yourself so much. Not even Ozpin could beat them, you aren't weak. They were just too good and we weren't prepared for them" responded Weiss.

Trying to comfort her sister, Yang said "Yeah Rubes, they were way better than we expected them to be and we weren't prepared to fight people with semblances like that. I mean, that Clayton guy should be dead after what I did to him, but he isn't. I've never seen anything like it, and as for the invisible one and the teleporting one. We couldn't have seen that coming, and we have never trained to fight enemies like that. So, don't worry about it, next time we'll be ready".

"I can't believe they killed Adam" said Blake, Yang put her arm over Blake's shoulders and said "Neither can I, but I'm glad He's dead. He can't hurt you anymore." Blake put her head on Yang's shoulder and said "I'm glad too Yang, he can't hurt you anymore either."

Weiss now feeling slightly better scoffed and said "Come on you two, everyone can see you're perfect for each other. Stop messing around and just do something about it. You must have noticed by now that life is far too short and can end far too easily, to not be with your loved one's. So, just kiss already, you're just wasting your time not doing it."

The two girls' jaws dropped, Ruby gasped and Weiss' faces went red when it dawned on her what she just said. Ruby burst out laughing at their reactions, she agreed with Weiss but of course she would never say that.

Blake's cheeks were bright red and Yang was uncharacteristically quiet. They looked at each other, then to Weiss, and then back to each other. Yang let out a big sigh and said "Well, I guess there's no point denying it. I really like you Blake, no. I'm completely head over heels for you. I love everything about you, you are the coolest, most passionate, most interesting person I have ever met. And on top of that, you are the single most beautiful girl I've ever seen".

Yang stopped, thinking of something else to say. But before she could get any more words out. Blake tackled her to the ground, wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed her on the lips. For a moment Yang tensed up, from the shock. But then she wrapped her arms around Blake's waist and parted her lips slightly, allowing the Cat Faunus' tongue to slip into her mouth.

To Blake, in that moment. The only thing that existed was Yang. She had felt like Yang cared about her for a long time now, but she never believed that Yang felt this way about her. She had wanted to be with Yang for so long, but she had assumed that the feelings weren't mutual. But now, the girl who had accepted the fact that she was a faunus, the girl who had accepted her past, the girl who lost an arm trying to protect her. That girl loved her, and the thought threw her normally composed mind into a whirlwind. She had kissed Yang, and Yang had kissed back. They were wrapped in each others' arms, and sharing an unimaginably passionate kiss in front of everyone. They only stopped when the need to breath became overwhelming.

When Blake opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Yang with a huge smile on her face. Then she saw everyone else, Ruby and Weiss had their jaws dropped and their eyes wide. Qrow was looking away not wanting to see what his niece was doing, Oscar was also looking away, and the other four were just watching unsure of how to react. But Blake didn't care, she was the happiest she had ever been. She stood up and pulled Yang to her feet, and it was Yang who broke the silence. She shrugged and said "What, Weiss said everyone knew we liked each other. It can't be that surprising, I mean look at Blake she's perfect. Who wouldn't want to do what I just did?" turning back to Blake she asked "So Kitty Cat, are we officially a thing?" without hesitation Blake replied "Do you really have to ask, of course we are. I'm done running from the people I care about, especially from you. Yang Xiao Long, I love you." An ecstatic Yang wrapped her arms around Blake and whispered in her ear "I love you too Blake".

Ruby let out a high-pitched squeal "I'm so happy for you, this is so cool!" she shouted. "Thanks Ruby" replied Blake, and Yang said "Yeah, thank sis". Weiss had now recovered from the shock of what just happened "I'm also happy for you, you finally did it". Blake nodded in acknowledgement as Yang said "Thanks Ice Queen, your little outburst really helped us out." Qrow walked over to the new couple "Good to see you're happy and everything Yang, but your uncle doesn't need to see his niece like that." Yang rubbed the back of her head and said "Sorry about that Uncle Qrow, I kinda forgot you were here."

"If you're quite finished Miss Xiao Long and Miss Belladonna, it's time to go" Said Ozpin, as he and their four new acquaintances started walking into the tree line. "How am I going to get Bumblebee through the forest?" asked Yang. Samson walked over to Yang's bike and picked it up, before heading back into the forest. "I guess that answers that question" said a playful Blake, the memories of the recent traumatic events having quickly faded. Yang laughed "It certainly does Blakey, now let's go before we lose them." The exhausted but happy RWBY girls then followed the rest of the group, with a still mildly concussed Qrow bringing up the rear.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Camp

After walking through the forest for a while, the group arrived at the camp. It was surrounded by a wall of sharpened logs with the, with no apparent way in. But after putting Bumblebee down, Samson walked over to one of the logs and lifted it out of the way. Once everyone had entered the camp he, carried Bumblebee through the gap in the wall before replacing the log.

Within the walls, there were four tents arranged around the remains of a campfire. On the remains of the fire there was a cooking pot which contained some unknown food. Other than that, there was very little in the camp, which prompted Weiss to ask "So, where exactly are we all meant to sleep?". Rex laughed and said "Looks like we'll be sharing tents Princess", his reply made Weiss scowl but she didn't have much choice "I'll share a tent with someone, just not you" she said". Rex's hung his head in disappointment.

Samson rubbed his hands together, he said "I'll handle the sleeping arrangements." Pointing to Rex and Clayton he said "You two can share my tent" he then turned to Oscar and Qrow before continuing "You two can take Rex's tent." before he could speak for her Amber said "Little Red, and the Schnee can share with me. And the two love birds can take Clayton's tent".

The reactions to the sleeping arrangements varied greatly. Rex and Clayton said nothing but looked disappointed, Oscar and Qrow seemed happy enough and nodded in acceptance, Ruby was excited about sharing with Weiss, and Yang and Blake both grinned at the prospect of getting a tent to themselves.

"Well, now that's settled. Who's up for some mushroom stew?" asked Samson. Everyone happily accepted the offer of food, they were all ravenous with hunger after the dramatic events of the day. Samson lit the campfire, to reheat the stew and to keep them warm during the night. A short while later the food was ready, unfortunately there were not enough bowls or spoons for everyone to eat at the same time so they all took turns and shared.

Once they had finished eating, everyone agreed that it was time to get some sleep. Oscar slept in his sleeping bag while, Qrow slept on the ground next to him. Samson, Clayton and Rex all slept in their own sleeping bags. Amber slept in her sleeping bag, and Ruby had offered hers to Weiss but they agreed to share. And neither Blake or Yang had sleeping bags so they slept in each other's' arms to keep warm.

The following morning as everyone emerged from their tents, Samson coughed to get their attention." Right, let's get everything packed up and ready to go. Well, be in Vale in no time, so don't forget anything we won't be coming back." They all started rolling up the sleeping bags, and collapsing the tents.

A few minutes later everyone was packed and ready to go, and Samson spoke again "Everyone, join hands and Yang you may want to hold onto that bike of yours." They all did as he said so he looked over to Amber "You ready to go Amber?" he asked, she nodded in response "Off we go then" said Samson. A cloud of black smoke engulfed them, and when it cleared they were standing in downtown Vale.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Return to Vale

A large crowd gathered to marvel at what had just appeared in a cloud of smoke. There was a yellow and black bike, A blonde girl with a prosthetic arm, a cat faunus with two swords, A girl with a red cloak, a white haired girl with a rapier, a boy with a cane, a middle aged man, a masked figure with two gauntlets, a large masked figure with a hammer, another masked figure with a crossbow, a fourth figure with a couple of knives on his belt, and finally the bloody and dismembered corpse of Adam Taurus.

Amber started to fall but Qrow and Samson kept her up, Samson said "I can carry her, don't worry about it" Qrow let go of her and Samson picked Amber up and carried her like a bride.

"Holy shit, we're here" said Yang when she finally snapped out of her stunned silence, Blake then said "Huh, I knew she could teleport but this is insanity".

"That was awesome!" shouted Ruby as she excitedly jumped and punched the air, "It is quite impressive, but calm down you dolt" replied an irritated Weiss. "Come on Weiss, let he have her fun. It's not often that you get to teleport halfway across the world" said Yang trying to be a good sister. Then Blake joined in "Normally I'd agree with you Weiss, but I think this time. Her excitement is justifiable." Weiss crossed her arms and relented "Fine, have it your way. But if she breaks anything, it's on you." Ruby looked at Weiss and said "Don't worry Weiss, I won't break anything." Immediately after saying that Ruby tried to take a step forward, tripped over and dropped the artifact.

Seeing the artifact falling to the floor Ozpin told Oscar to grab it, so he dived to catch it. He landed on his back in front of Ruby and the artifact hit him in the chest knocking the wind out of him. He then turned to an embarrassed Ruby "Ozpin says, he wants me to hold onto this." Ruby nodded, too embarrassed to speak and Blake, Yang and Weiss couldn't contain their laughter.

Oscar smiled and said "He also said that it's good to see that you can still laugh, but really we should hurry back to Beacon". Team RWBY stopped laughing and nodded in agreement.

Clapping his hands together to get everyone's attention, Oscar said "So, Ozpin says he has a plan. Qrow, he wants you to go with our new friends, find us a place to stay, and do something with that body." Qrow nodded and said "You got it Oz." Oscar continued "Team RWBY, you're coming with me to deliver our package." They all agreed but Yang asked "What am I supposed to do with Bumblebee? I can't just leave my baby here."

Oscar waits for a moment waiting for Ozpin's answer, then responds to the question "Ozpin said you can bring your bike with you, and we'll find somewhere to keep it once we've finished with the artifact." Yang smiled "Tell the professor I said thanks", Oscar raised an eyebrow and said "You know you can just thank him yourself right, he can hear you." Yang laughed "Oh yeah, forgot about that. Thank you, professor." Oscar laughed slightly and said "Ozpin said you're welcome, and we should really get going now get going now."

Yang paused to think "I can't just walk down the street pushing Bumblebee, so I'll ride down to the nearest airship dock and wait for you there." Oscar, Ruby and Weiss agreed, but Blake didn't want to be away from Yang "Can I ride with you Yang?" she asked hopefully.

As Yang climbed onto her bike she looked at Blake, gave her a wink and said "Hop on, and hold on tight. I'm gonna take you on the ride of your life babe". Blake blushed at the innuendo, and climbed on behind her girlfriend. She wrapped her arms around Yang's waist and they sped off down the street.

As they watched the yellow and black blur disappear down the street, Weiss, Ruby and Oscar all groaned thinking about Yang's parting words. "Come on guys, follow me." said Ruby as she set off in the direction of her sister. The others followed and Weiss said "You may be a dolt Ruby, but at least you aren't another Yang." Ruby giggled "Thanks Weiss. One Yang is more than enough"

Qrow was now left alone, to deal with the four strangers that Ozpin had dumped on him. He stared at them for a while as he worked out what he was going to do with them. Samson was carrying Amber, Clayton was carrying Adam's body, and Rex was staring back at him. "So, you're Raven's brother?" asked Rex. "Yes, we've been over this already. No come on, we need to claim the bounty on Adam." replied an annoyed Qrow.

Qrow headed in the direction of the nearest police station, with his new charges. They followed in silence, both because they were overwhelmed at being in a city for the first time, and because they didn't want to further irritate Qrow. The annoyed Branwen downed what was left in his flask, trying to make himself feel better about everything. As he tucked it back into his pocket he hear sirens approaching, before he knew it they were surrounded by police.

"Drop everything and put your hands up!" Shouted one of the officers. Qrow put his hands up and asked "What's this about exactly?" A look of confusion appears on the Officer's face "Well, that dead body for starters!" he shouted in response. Qrow shook his head "This is all a big misunderstanding. That body is Adam Taurus, the most wanted man in Remnant. We're just trying to claim the bounty on his head."

Taken aback by this, the Officer shouted "Prove it and I'll give you a ride to the station. If not, you're all going down for murder!". Clayton dropped the body and said "Come see for yourself" before backing away for the Officer to approach. The Officer, pulled out a scroll and found a picture of Adam Taurus. He looked at the picture, then at the body, then back at the picture, and finally back to the body. He nodded and said "Alright, that's him. I'll take you all to the station.".

Other than the Officer, the rest of the police left. He got in the driver's seat, Qrow sat beside him, Samson, Clayton and Rex got in the back with Amber lying across their legs, and Adam's body was crammed in the trunk. It was a short drive to the station, which was a great relief for the four that squashed in back. They quickly dived out of the vehicle when they had the doors opened for them, having never been in a car before. They did not enjoy the experience and were thankful for being out of it. Getting the body out of the trunk, they headed into the station escorted by the Officer.

Meanwhile, Yang and Blake were waiting at the airship dock. They sat facing each other on Bumblebee, and they were making out. As they separated to breath, Yang said "I can't wait to take you to bed Blakey, I was too tired last night but tonight I won't be." Blake's heart started beating so fast it felt like it was going to break out of her chest "Yang, stop teasing. It's already hard to hold back, saying things like that is a great way to get us arrested for public indecency." Yang shot her a wink "That's not a bad thing Blakey, as long as we can share a cell."

Ruby, Weiss and Oscar arrived before Blake could formulate a response. Ozpin was now in control of Oscar "Shall we?" he asked, pointing to the airship. Oscar was first onto the airship, followed by Ruby, then by Weiss, the a slightly disappointed Blake, and finally an incredibly disappointed Yang pushing Bumblebee. The doors closed behind them as the airship set off on the short journey to Beacon.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Return to Beacon

Beacon quickly came into view, it looked like nothing had changed since the girls had first started there. Apart from the giant Grimm that was still frozen in place, at the top of the damaged tower. Ruby gasped at the sight "Did I do that? Is that what happened before I blacked out?". Weiss placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder "Yes Ruby, that was you" she said softly." They all stood in silence until they reached their destination.

The five of them stepped off of the airship, and were surprised by what greeted them. In front of them stood a large group of students, some were from Beacon but there were others students from across Remnant. Many of those who had witnessed the fall of Beacon, had returned.

There was Neptune with Scarlet and Sage, Team CFVY, Team NDGO, Team ABRN, Team BRNZ and Neon and Flynt from Team FNKI. Most surprisingly, Penny's friend Ciel was also there. For a moment the two groups stood facing each other in stunned silence, no members of Team RWBY had been seen since Beacon was attacked.

Coco broke the silence "Hey guys, long time no see" she said. "Hey everyone, Team RWBY has returned" replied Ruby. Yang was the next to speak "It's great to see you all, but how come your here?" Neptune answered Yang's question "Well, we came back to help clear out the Grimm and rebuild Beacon". The others all nodded in agreement and then Neptune asked "So, have you guys heard from Sun. We haven't seen him in months?"

Blake rubbed the back of her head "Yeah, sorry about that. He followed me to Menagerie and now he's somewhere in Mistral with Jaune, Nora and Ren. He should be on his way as we speak." Neptune laughed at that "I knew he liked you, but following you half way across Remnant without telling is crazy. He has some serious explaining to do when he gets here."

Oscar stepped forward, coughing to get everyone's attention. The Ozpin spoke "This may be a shock to you, but I am Professor Ozpin. This is the body of a young man name Oscar, I am currently sharing it with him. I would like to thank you all for coming to our aid, I assure you that this is greatly appreciated. Please, excuse me I have an important matter to attend to, I will however leave Team RWBY to fill you in on recent developments. There is a lot for you to take in, but I am sure that these girls will be able to explain it all. I hope to see you all again soon." He then walked off, heading over to the tower.

"What was that? Why has that kid been possessed by Ozpin? And Where have you guys been?" asked Coco. "Alright, so it's kind of a long story and you all need to hear it." Yang replied, before clearing her throat. "So, The Grimm have a queen and her name is Salem. We don't know how but she can control them. Cinder Fall, the evil bitch who caused all of this, worked for Salem. Anyway, Cinder attacked Haven, but she was killed by my Mom." Yang stopped and everyone nodded, accepting all of it.

Ruby took over "I'm sure you guys have heard the Legend of the Maidens, well it turns out that it's true. There are Maidens and they are super powerful, when they die the last person they thought about gets their power. Cinder killed one of them, and stole her power. The maiden was here, so Cinder attacked to get to her. Apparently, I'm one of the maidens and that's how I did that to the giant Grimm on the tower." Everyone gasped at this revelation, but again they all nodded in acceptance.

Then Weiss took over "As a result of what happened here, Atlas has closed its border and is preparing for war. That is exactly what Cinder and Salem wanted, they wanted us to turn on each other so we can't stop them. Cinder was also planning on disabling the CCT to cut communications, but we managed to stop her at Haven. The head of Haven was working for Salem for a long time, and it was because of him that Beacon was so easily attacked. He is also responsible for Salem having every Huntsman and Huntress in Mistral killed, he gave her all of their information. We also know, that Salem used Cinder and her powers to force Adam Taurus to aid them. Which is why the White Fang was here, and it's why Yang lost an arm". There were more gasps, but again the other students accepted it.

Blake took over from there "Adam Taurus, killed the leader of the White Fang and tried to seize control. He also tried to have my parents killed, but with the help of Sun and someone on the inside. We managed to save my parents, and reveal the truth about Adam. We managed to convince a lot of the people in Menagerie, that we needed to stop him. So, we all went to Haven to meet him and we managed to make him look weak. His followers abandoned him, but he managed to escape. That's when we regrouped and made our way back here, but on the way here there was a development. Adam hired mercenaries to ambush us, and we were beaten. But when Adam tried to kill us, the mercenaries turned on him. They killed him and now they have joined us to help take down Salem."

When Blake had finished, Yang wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into a kiss. When they separated Yang smiled at everyone and said "Oh and this is a thing now."

Velvet clapped and shouted "I'm so happy for you guys!", Coco looked at her, winked and said "We can have that too, if you're down Velv". The Rabbit Faunus blushed and hid behind her ears, Blake saw this and said "Velvet, just go for it. As a friend of mine said recently. Come on you two, everyone can see you're perfect for each other. Stop messing around and just do something about it. You must have noticed by now that life is far too short and can end far too easily, to not be with your loved ones. So, just kiss already, you're just wasting your time not doing it." Velvet's ears perked up, she removed Coco's beret and shades. Then she mimicked exactly what Yang did to Blake.

"Which friend said that, was it Sun?" ask Neptune, "Actually no, it was the Ice Queen." replied an amused Blake. Neptune, walked over to Weiss "So, should we follow your advice?" he asked her. She didn't say anything, she just gave him a swift kick between the legs. He went down like a dead Nevermore. "I'll take that as a no" he said while rolling on the floor. Sage and Scarlet picked him up and carried him away from Weiss.

Ciel approached Ruby "Greetings Miss Rose, you were a good friend to Penny and she spoke fondly of you. I am here to take her place, as your friend. If you will accept me." Ruby hugged Ciel "Stop being so formal about everything, I'd love to be friends with you. Any friend of Penny's is a friend of mine". Ciel returned the hug "Thank you Mi- I mean thank you Ruby, I have never been hugged before."

"What, how can you never have been hugged. Not even by your parents?" Ruby asked "My parents don't believe in hugging, they say it makes you weak." replied Ciel "That's dumb, hugging is awesome." said Ruby, as she tried to end the hug. Ciel just held on, her body shaking slightly as she cried "T-thank you Ruby".

Weiss could sympathize with Ciel, but she couldn't help feeling jealous. She wanted to be hugged like that, she wanted to be held, and she wanted Ruby. She turned away to push those thoughts out of her mind. Fortunately, she was saved from her thoughts, Oscar returned with Goodwitch, Port and Oobleck.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Qrow's New Friends: Part 1

Qrow walked out of the police station, flanked by Samson and his team. With the exception of a sleeping Amber, they were all much happier than when they had entered. They had just made a few million Lien for taking down Adam, even when sharing the money, they were all set for life.

"Now that's out of the way, we need to find somewhere to stay. But before that, we should get some breakfast." said Qrow as they made their way down the street. "Sounds like a plan" said a cheery sounding Samson. "Yeah I'm starving" said Rex.

They walked into a diner called Junior's. The place had a few booths and a bar with some stools. Behind the bar stood a large dark-haired man with a beard and two of the stools were occupied by girls who appeared to be twins.

Qrow's companions sat in a booth while Qrow walked up to the bar. "Hey" he said to the bartender before sitting on one of the bar stools. The bartender looked at him for a moment "Wait, I recognize you. You're related to the crazy blond, that destroyed my club." This confused Qrow "You know Yang?", the bartender nodded "Yeah, I know Yang. As I said, she destroyed my club. Which is why I now have a diner instead."

The twins got up and stood behind Qrow, he sighed "Look, I'm not my niece, I'm not here to cause any trouble. My friend and I would just like something to eat. Also, I'd advise you to not try anything. Those four would ensure that none of you leave here alive." Junior put his hands up "Alright, if they're anything like Blondie I'll be civil with you. Melanie, Militia go back to your seats. We all know that fucking with Branwens and Xiao Longs doesn't go well for us."

"Can we order now, we are here as customers after all." said Qrow "What you having then?" asked Junior. "We'll take one of everything on the menu" Qrow replied. Junior raised an eyebrow "You sure you've got the Lien for that?" Qrow smiled "I could by this whole place, let alone everything on the menu." Junior took a step back "In that case, girls keep an eye on the place. I've got some cooking to do" and with that he disappeared into the kitchen.

"Ladies, it looks pretty lonely over here. Mind if I keep you company?" Rex asked as he walked over to Melanie and Militia. They looked him up and down "What do you think Mel?" asked the girl in Red. "I think we should give him a shot, do you agree?" replied the girl in white. The girl in red got up and put her arm around Rex's waist, quickly followed by her twin who did the same. "Can I get you ladies a drink?" asked Rex. They both shook their heads "Can't drink on the clock I'm afraid handsome" said the girl in white. "But since you offered, we'll take your number." said the girl in red.

"Sorry ladies, I don't have a number or a scroll for that matter. But hold that thought, I'll go get one and then I'll come straight back and give you it." said Rex before he ran out the door and took off down the street. The two girls turned to each other "Well, if he's willing to do that just for us, he just got lucky" said Militia. "Big time, he definitely knows how to treat a lady or two" responded Melanie.

Qrow shook his head "What an idiot" he said to himself, before getting up and joining the other three in the booth. "We've been in Vale for less than a day, and he gets two girls. I don't know how he does it." said Samson "I mean come on, he didn't even tell them his name" he continued. Clayton interjected "I'm honestly surprised he hasn't tried it on with Amber yet." Amber seemed to be fast asleep but she still managed to say "I'd rather gut him than fuck him" before going quiet again. Not even Qrow could contain his laughter after that.

A few minutes later Rex burst through the door with a brand-new scroll in his hand "I've got one, is the offer still on the table ladies?" he asked. The girl in red walked up to him and handed him a small piece of paper with two scroll numbers written on it. "You bet it is babe, call us tonight if you want some sibling fun" she said before winking at him and walking back over to her sister. Rex smiled and then rejoined his friends. "Guys, I may be unavailable tonight. Something came up". They all face-palmed at that.

After another few minutes Junior came out of the kitchen carrying a load of bowls and plates. He dumped everything on the table and went back to get another equally large pile. Then he went behind the bar and started making drinks. "Damn Qrow, how much did you order?" asked Clayton. Qrow shrugged "I'm hungry, and I'm sure you haven't had a decent meal in a long time. So, all of you just shut up and eat"

An hour later, they five of them had worked their way through everything on the menu. Qrow went over to the bar to pay "How did you eat all of that?" asked Junior. "We were just hungry" replied a slightly irritated Qrow. "How's Yang doing by the way? I haven't seen her in ages." asked Junior as Qrow paid for the meal. "Well, she lost an arm but she got it replaced, she just started going out with the ex girlfriend of the guy who cut her arm off, and she also cut that guy's arm off. So, I'd say she's doing fine." Junior handed Qrow his receipt and said "Shit, well give her my regards" Qrow said "Will do" as he exited the diner. "Damn that girl is tough" Junior said to himself as the door closed behind Qrow.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Giant Grimm Removal

"Student's may we have your attention please?" asked Ozpin. The student's all gathered around him and the Beacon's other teachers. "Thank you, now in order to make Beacon safe again. We need to deal with the large Grimm on the tower. Currently it's attracting Grimm to the area, so we urgently need to remove it. Unfortunately, we are unable to use explosives as that would risk doing further damage to the building. So, we're looking for suggestions" he said

Yang raised her hand "Couldn't we just smash the thing to pieces?" she asked. "If we could generate enough force then we could, but we are uncertain if we can apply that much force." replied Ozpin

Weiss the raised her hand "I could target it with a glyph, that way we could break it with less risk to the building" she suggested. "That may work, Miss Schnee" replied Ozpin

Coco was next to make a suggestion "What if we just shot at it, we could do a lot of damage to it without the inaccuracy of explosives" Ozpin nodded "Good idea Miss Adel, we shall try that. Everyone with a projectile weapon, please follow me"

Ozpin started walking towards the tower. He was followed by Ruby, Blake, Yang, Coco, Velvet, Scarlet, Reese, Nadir, May, and Professor Port. "It's good to see you again Miss Xiao Long, I trust you're feeling better than you were last time" said Professor Port. "Good to see you too Professor, it took me a while but I've grown to love my new arm. In some ways it's better than my old arm" she happily replied. Port chuckled at her enthusiasm "That's what I like to see, you're as tough as myself" he said jokingly.

Eventually, the group reached the top of the tower. Where Ozpin's office once was, there was now nothing but a giant Grimm that had been turned into a statue by Ruby. "Alright everyone, get in line and take aim at the Grimm" ordered Ozpin. They all drew their pistols, rifles and snipers. Coco deployed her mini-gun and Velvet used her semblance to make a copy of Coco's weapon. Yang aimed the weapons in her prosthetic at the over sized statue and drew back her other arm, ready to open fire with her gauntlet.

"When I give the command, open fire and keep firing until you either run out of ammunition or I tell you to stop" Ozpin said, everyone nodded in response. A few seconds passed and then Ozpin shouted "Fire!" and all hell broke loose.

The sound of so many weapons firing at once was deafening, but the plan seemed to work. The rounds gouged chunks out of the thing, and quickly cut most of the way through it. Everyone with the exception of Coco and Velvet quickly burned through their ammunition. The two mini-guns made quick work of the Grimm, it fell to pieces. Weiss and Professor Goodwitch used their semblances to stop the larger chunks from damaging the building and lower them carefully to the ground.

The students on the tower celebrated the destruction of the Grimm, sure that they had destroyed the things that was drawing the other Grimm to Vale and Beacon. Their celebrations were cut short as a Nevermore descended on them, forcing them all to dive for cover. They couldn't shoot it because they had expended all of their ammo on the statue, but that didn't matter.

A heavily weaponized airship, came flying in with its guns blazing. The Nevermore tried to attack it but it was quickly torn apart by the airship's firepower, which made the thing vanish before it could hit the ground. The airship circled around the tower before landing near the students on the ground. The doors of the airship opened, and five people walked out.

Nora ran out "Did you guys see that, we totally just destroyed that Nevermore!" she shouted happily, "Calm down Nora, I'm fairly certain they all saw it happen" said Ren as he followed the excitable redhead. Jaune followed them out, dropping to his knees and throwing up "I hate flying", he said before throwing up again. Then came Sun "Oh, hey guys. It's been a while" he said as he made his way over to Neptune. Lastly, a nervous looking Ilia walked out, sticking closely to Sun.

"Sun, please tell us where you're going next time. We've been worried sick about you." said Neptune. "Come on Nep, you know your super cool leader can take care of himself. How can a guy with abs like these ever not be fine?" Sun replied jokingly. The two of them fist bumped and Neptune asked "So, who's this you've brought back with you?" tilting his head in Ilia's direction "That's Ilia, she kinda stabbed me and tried to kill Blake and her family. But we're cool now." said Sun as he waved for her to come over.

"Ilia this is Neptune, Neptune this is Ilia" Sun said, prompting the two to nod at each other in acknowledgement. "What's this I hear about stabbing Sun?" asked Neptune, Ilia sighed "I didn't want to stab him, he just got in the way." she responded quietly. Shrugging Neptune said "Don't worry about is, I can't say I haven't wanted to stab him myself on a few occasions." Neptune laughed. Ilia smiled at this "Hey, at least she had an excuse Nep. But I'm your team leader, you can't stab me. Anyway, good to see you guys getting along. I'm sure Blake will be happy about it to." said Sun, then he scratched his head "Speaking of Blake, how exactly did Team RWBY get here so quickly? They only set off a couple of days ago. Unless they took an airship like we did, they should still be in Mistral right now." Neptune shrugged "No idea, they just turned up and told us about everything that went down since the festival. Weiss is right there though so you could ask her" he said.

"Hey Weiss, how did you guys get here so quickly?" Sun asked "I could ask you the same thing, but I'm guessing one of you stole an airship." Weiss replied. Sun nodded "Yeah, Nora ran off and came back in that thing. So, we flew back here. But seriously, how did you guys get here?" he asked. "Well, it's kind of a long story. Basically, we got Adam Taurus hired so people to ambush us so he could kill us. But they turned on him and killed him. It turned out that one of those people has teleportation as her semblance, so they teleported us here." explained Weiss. Sun, Ilia and Neptune stood their speechless, not quite sure how to process that information.

"That was so awesome!" Ruby shouted, breaking the silence as she ran over to them. She was quickly followed by Yang and Blake who were holding hands "Hey Sun, hey Ilia" the two girls said together. Sun raised an eyebrow "Oh, that's why you rejected by advances." he said looking at Blake. "Sorry Sun, Blakey is all mine now. You can thank Weiss, she kinda demanded that we get together." Yang replied happily. "Is this true Ice Queen?" asked Sun, she face-palmed "Don't tell me you hadn't noticed the way they looked at each other Sun" she replied.

Ilia hung her head in disappointment, she wanted what Yang had with Blake but she knew now that she never would. "Cheer up Ilia, we met a nice new Cat Faunus. You may have a chance with her, and she's a lot like Blake. We'll introduce you if you like." said Yang trying to make Ilia feel better.

"Really, you would do that for me?" asked Ilia. "Of course, Ilia. I may have Blake but that doesn't mean I don't want you to be happy. Especially, after everything you've done for us. I'm sure you and Amber will get on great" replied Yang. Blake nodded in agreement "Honestly Ilia, we both care about you" she said. "T-thank you, thank you so much." said Ilia, a small smile forming on her face.

Ozpin approached the students "Student's you have done well so far, it has occurred to me that some of you are yet to eat today. So, please go to the dining room, Professor Port is currently preparing food for you all." he said before pulling out his scroll and calling someone.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Qrow's New Friends: Part 2

"So, Qrow. I couldn't help overhearing that Yang destroyed that guys club. What was that about?" asked Clayton as they made their way down the street. "I don't know kid, but Yang can be a real firecracker when she wants to be. So, I'm assuming that Junior either hit on her, tried to throw her out, or she wanted something from him." replied Qrow.

"Weird how he seemed so concerned for her after what she did. I'm sure most people would be pissed about having their business destroyed" said Clayton.

"I don't get it either, she can be beating someone to the verge of death one minute, and the next minute she can be their best friend. We should be thankful for that though, if she wasn't so friendly she'd be just like Raven." responded Qrow.

Qrow's scroll started vibrating, it was Ozpin calling "Hey Oz" he said. "There has been a slight change of plan, we've dealt with the Grimm from the tower. So, we can stay here rather than finding something in Vale." said Ozpin

"Does that mean you want me to bring these guys to Beacon?" asked Qrow. "Yes, I'm sure we can find a room for them here." replied Ozpin.

"Alright then, we'll be there as soon as possible. Is there anything you want us to get on the way there?" Qrow asked "Hmm, we have a severe shortage of ammunition. Get as much of that as you can carry." said Ozpin

"What kind of ammo do you need?" asked Qrow. "Well, there are a lot of students here with various projectile weapons. So, we'll require a variety of rounds." he responded.

"I'll see to that, but what's this about a lot of students?" Qrow asked, "Well, we have Team RWBY, the remaining members of Team JNPR, Team CFVY, and a number of other students from all over Remnant." came the reply.

"I see, what are they all doing there? I thought they were sent home after the attack." said a confused Qrow. "They, were sent home. But, they have returned to help clear out Grimm and rebuild. Please excuse me Qrow, I have other things to attend to." said Ozpin before hanging up.

Qrow turned to his companions "Looks like we're going ammo shopping" he said to them. "Great, that sounds like fun" said Samson. "It sounds like fun now, but when we have to carry it all. You won't be saying that" Qrow said. Rex laughed "Don't worry about him Qrow, he loves lifting things. He can carry it all for us".

After a short walk, the five of them arrived at a gun store. "Damn, I'm impressed. I've never seen so much weaponry in one place" said an excited Rex as he looked around. "Rex, you don't even use a gun. Why do you even care" said a semi-conscious Amber. "Well, I could start using one Amber. A gun is just a louder crossbow after all" he replied.

"Dude, you're a stealth guy. It defeats the whole purpose of your semblance if you use a gun. If they can hear you firing, they don't need to see you to find you." said Amber.

Rex looked sad "I guess you have a point, but still you've got to admit that this place is cool." Qrow shook his head as he walked over to order the ammunition "For trained killers, you can be pretty damn childish at times."

"You'd think a guy who hangs around with heavily armed kids all day, would be a lot more understanding" said Rex. "You seem to be forgetting who his sister is, if he's anything like her then of course he won't be understanding" said Amber. "Be nice Amber, he's not like Raven at all. I mean when was the last time she bought us breakfast? Never." said Samson.

"Samson come with me, we're going to get the stuff from the warehouse!" shouted Qrow as he followed one of the employees through a door at the back of the store. Samson ran after him "I'm guessing you want me to carry it then" he said when he caught up, Qrow nodded "Did you really have to ask?" they walked over to a large wooden crate "Stupid question I guess" said Samson after looking at the box.

A few minutes later, the five of them were walking down the street again. But this time was carrying the large crate above his head, so he could see where he was going. They were heading to the nearest airship dock, so they could catch a ride to Beacon. "Where are we going exactly?" asked Rex. "We are going to Beacon Academy, which is where we will meet up with the others, and where we will be staying for the foreseeable future." said Qrow.

"Are there more people there? Because if not, I think you went a bit overkill on the ammo." Clayton asked. "Well, according to Ozpin, some students from Beacon and other academies have turned up to help with clearing out Grimm and repairing the damage." replied Qrow.

"Wait, what damage? What happened here Qrow?" asked Amber. "Shit, I guess I should probably explain. Well, there was a festival being held and during that festival the city was attacked. It was total chaos." he paused for a moment "Atlas had a lot of their stuff hacked, so there were robots killing people in the streets... An Atlas warship was hijacked and opened fire on everything... The White Fang released Grimm into the city and into Beacon… A giant Grimm attracted more Grimm to the city… A lot of students died trying to fight back… Ozpin's body died so he possessed Oscar… Communication with the rest of Remnant was stopped… Yang had her arm cut off by the guy who hired you… Ruby almost killed Cinder and turned the giant Grimm to stone… So many people died."

"Fuck, I'm sorry Qrow. We had no idea." is all Amber could say. "What happened to Cinder?" asked Clayton. Qrow sighed "She was working with Raven to attack Haven, during the fight they snuck off together to get something. Eventually, Yang chased after them but when she got there. Cinder was gone, apparently Raven killed her but we don't know for certain. Raven was gone before we could confirm what happened to Cinder. That's not really important though, Cinder was only a pawn, it's Salem we need to worry about."

Clayton put his hand on Qrow's shoulder "Whoever this Salem is, you can count on us to help bring her down. Right guys?" Samson said "Of course" Amber said "Damn right we're helping." and Rex said "That bitch is going down."

"I appreciate the enthusiasm, but Salem isn't exactly a pushover. She's basically a God and she controls the Grimm. I don't know if we'll be able to take her down, even with the whole of Remnant united against her it would be a challenge. What makes it worse is that thanks to what happened here, a united Remnant isn't really a possibility. She's trying to divide us so we can't fight back, if we can't change things soon. It will be too late." said Qrow "We can at least try" said the other four simultaneously. "We sure can, we cure can" Qrow quietly replied.

They arrived at the airship dock a short while later, and boarded one of the airships. Just before the doors closed, they were joined by a girl well-dressed girl with hair reminiscent of ice cream, mismatched eyes, and an umbrella. She didn't say anything but she walked up to Qrow and handed him a letter.

The letter read "Hello, my name is Neo. I was drugged, tortured and manipulated into working for Roman Torchwick and Cinder Fall. They are dead now, and I am finally free. I am a wanted criminal, but I want to atone for my crimes by assisting the Huntsmen. I know you are related to Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long. I have fought them in the past, but now I want the opportunity to explain my actions to them and make things right between us. Please, consider taking me to them. I would have explained this in person but I am mute, thank you."

Qrow looked at her "Are you serious about this? Because if not you just made a big mistake". She nodded at him and smiled. "Alright then, but you won't get out alive if you try anything" he said. "Who's that?" asked Clayton. "This is Neo, apparently she wants to join us." replied Qrow. Neo waved at Clayton "Oh, I like her." he said before returning the wink. "I would warn you to be careful around her, but I'm sure you can handle anything that comes up." said Qrow.

"Hi Neo, I'm Clayton." he said as he walked over to her. She pulled out her scroll and quickly typed something out, before showing it to Clayton. It said "I can't talk to you I'm mute. But hi." Clayton smiled at her "Don't worry about it Neo, as long as you can type on your scroll we can get to know each other". She smiled back at him and type another message "I like you. So, are you a Huntsman?" Clayton shook his head "No, I'm a mercenary or something like that. Or at least I was. We kinda helped someone we shouldn't have and now we've agreed to work with the Huntsmen." Neo's eyes widened and she typed another message "I made some mistakes myself and ended up working for the wrong people. I'm here for a similar reason to you, if they'll accept me. But I messed with a few of them before, and they might not forgive me."

Clayton patted Neo on the shoulder "Don't worry Neo. We attacked Huntsmen as well, while we were working for someone who turned out to be one of the most wanted people in Remnant". Neo typed another message "We seem to have a lot in common, and I have to admit you're also pretty cute. If things work out for me with the Huntsmen, maybe we can get to know each other a bit better. If you know what I mean". After Clayton read that Neo winked at him again. Clayton winked back and said "You know what Neo, I hope things work out. That sounds like and excellent idea". Neo jumped up, wrapped herself around Clayton and kissed him on the lips. She let go just as the airship came in to land.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Meanwhile at Beacon

Once they had finished eating, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Ilia, Sun and Neptune headed over to their dorm. When they reached Team RWBY's room Ilia asked "What are we looking for?" Yang pushed open the door and said "We all left stuff behind when we left." As she walked and saw that the bunk beds were still standing or hanging in her case. Ruby said "Ha, you guys didn't think the bunk beds were safe. But even when we had Grimm running around they didn't fall." She tried to climb onto her bed, but it dropped down onto Weiss' bed as soon as she touched it. "What was that about the beds being safe Rubes?" Yang asked jokingly. "Wait you actually used them?" asked a concerned Ilia. Blake nodded "Yeah, we were worried to begin with but they've held up until this point." she said.

"If we're staying at Beacon again, do you think they'll let use our room again?" asked a hopeful Ruby. "Well Ruby, once it's safe to get into bed again. I don't see why not." replied Weiss as she looked at the bed that was lying on top of her own. "You could always join me Weiss" suggested Neptune, the glare Weiss gave him made him hide behind Sun.

"Looks like everything is still here, and we can leave it here if we're staying. But we should probably get back to the other's in case Ozpin has any more announcements to make." said Yang. "You're probably right Yang, and we've still got to find out what's happening with the new guys." replied Blake. As they started to head back to the others, Sun asked "Who exactly are these new guys again?" Blake said "They used to be part of Yang's Mom's tribe. But they left to become mercenaries or something like that. Adam hired the to capture us, and they did capture us. But they turned on him and killed him when they found out he was going to kill us. They felt bad about helping him so they agreed to join us, which is actually great for us because they are incredibly powerful and skilled."

The last part of Blake's explanation piqued Sun's interest. "You already told us about the one that can teleport, but what about the other three?" he asked. "Well, Samson is really strong, he took down Ozpin and managed to stop Ruby in here tracks when she was going full speed. Clayton is basically invincible, because he can heal instantly from any injury. I burned myself out attacking him, broke every bone in his body and he still managed to beat me. Rex is probably the weakest of the four, he can go completely invisible but that's pretty much it. He did manage to disarm and take down Weiss though. Oh, and I may as well explain that Amber used her semblance to take down Uncle Qrow and Blake." explained Yang.

"Damn, they must be good if they managed to take all of you down and still have the energy to take down Adam. I hope I get to spar with them." said an excited Sun. "I'm sure you will, but you'll probably get destroyed by them." said Blake.

"What did they do to Adam?" Ilia asked. "Well, they confronted him about killing us and he didn't take it well. He tried to attack Samson with Wilt but he dodged and Adam lost his balance. When he tried to get up, Rex shot him in the back. Then Samson took his legs out and broke his Aura using his weapon. In the end, Clayton went for him and Adam stabbed him with Wilt. But Clayton allowed the blade to go right through him, which allowed him to get close enough to slash Adam's throat. He quickly bled out, and that was it." Blake explained. Ilia looked shocked but it quickly passed "That's brutal even by White Fang standards, but he deserved it I guess." is all she said before they arrived back in the dining room.

Nora and Ren were explaining what happened in Mistral to Scarlet and Sage, Jaune was demonstrating his semblance for Team CFVY, and the other students were discussing everything they had just learned. When Arslan who seemed to be leading the conversation, spotted them she motioned for them to come over.

"Mind telling us what went down at Haven then?" Arslan asked, Sun who was also a Haven Academy student decided to explain "Well, the White Fang was planning on blowing the place up. Me, Blake and Ilia took a bunch of people from Menagerie to try and stop them. When we got there we met up with Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Nora, Ren and Jaune who were there fighting some of Salem's minions including Lionheart. Anyway, we managed to win and Ilia disabled the explosives, and that's basically it". Everyone was listening intently and Arslan said "Well, we've been talking and all of us want to help in the fight against Salem. Too many people have died because of her and we will make her pay for what she has done." Her statement was met by nods of agreement from the rest of team ABRN, BRNZ, NDGO, Flynt, Neon and Ciel.

"We're in too" said Coco as team CFVY walked over to join the rest of them. They were soon followed by the remaining members of JNPR. Jaune said "We will fight too, for Pyrrha and for everyone else who's died because of Salem." everyone cheered at Jaune's words.

Sun turned to his team "I'm doing this whatever happens, will you join me?" he asked. Scarlet and Sage nodded and Neptune said "It's not like I have much choice, but I'll happily join you." A fist bump ensued.

"Salem won't know what's hit her." said Ruby as she proudly gazed upon her friend, knowing that they were willing to fight alongside her and her team. "Hell yeah Rubes" said Yang as she patted her sister on the shoulder. "It's going to take a lot of planning and training but we might just pull this off" Blake said as she started holding Yang's hand. "If anyone can save Remnant, it's team RWBY" Weiss said as she made her way to Ruby's side "and all our friends." she finished.

Looking out the window, Ruby saw an airship about to land. "Guys, I think Uncle Qrow and the others are here." The rest of the team looked out the window and Yang said "I thought they were staying in Vale. I guess now Beacon is safe again they can stay here."

"We should go and see them" said Ruby as she headed for the door. The rest of the team followed and Yang shouted to the rest of the students "I think our new friends just arrived, you should come and meet them!" The other students quickly filed out behind them, eager to meet the new arrivals.

As the airship landed, the students stood waiting with team RWBY at the front. "Let's hope this goes better than our first meeting with them." Yang joked, getting a laugh from her teammates. Weiss sighed "Well, at least it can't go much worse."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Yang and Neo

The airship doors opened, presenting the passengers with a large group of students. "Well Oz, that's more than I expected" Qrow said to himself as he stepped out. He heard the student's gasp at the sight of Samson carrying the large crate like it was nothing.

Samson dropped the crate and it hit the ground with a bang. Looking up he saw the student's staring at him in awe, he waved to them "Oh, hey guys" he said. Amber came out behind him, she didn't speak but she gave the crowd a nod of acknowledgement. "They seem pleased to see us, these girls definitely know how to arrange a welcome party" Rex said to his friends as he waved to the students.

"What the fuck is she doing here!" Yang shouted, pointing at Neo as she walked out with Clayton. She started storming over to them, but Qrow stepped in front of her "Yang wait, Neo isn't here for a fight. I don't like it either but I think she might have changed. She told me that Roman Torchwick and Cinder forced her to work for them. She wants to clear things up with you, and start working with us." Yang listened to Qrow "She's lying to you, Neo is fucking evil. You're an idiot if you believe her" she said as she pushed past him.

Yang almost got to Neo, she swung for her with her prosthetic. But Clayton put himself between the two girls, blocking the blow with his body "What the fuck are you doing Clayton? Move so I can deal with this bitch!" she growled at him. But he just shook his head and stood his ground "Yang stop, Neo may have wronged you in the past but now she wants to make it up to you, she regrets what did, and now she wants to help you. So, you either give her a chance, or you're going to have to go through me." he said to her.

Yang sighed heavily "I guess I owe her a chance, I gave you one after all. But she has a lot of explaining to do before I start trusting her." hearing this, Neo stepped out from behind Clayton. She had her arms raised in surrender and she looked terrified of Yang. "Are you being serious Neo, or are you just here to cause trouble?" Yang asked her, feeling slightly bad on the off-chance Neo was being honest. Neo nodded in response, before letting her hands drop to her sides.

Qrow was standing just behind Yang "If you want to talk to her, she was using her scroll to communicate with Clayton earlier. Honestly Yang, if what she told me is true, then she has as much reason to hate Cinder and Salem as we do." he then handed her the letter Neo had given him.

Yang started to tear up as she read Neo's letter. When she finished she looked at Neo "I'm so sorry Neo, if this is true then I forgive you for everything that you did. If you are lying to me then I will kill you, so you better have some proof for me." Neo smiled and nodded, then she pulled out her scroll and type up a message.

Neo's message read "I really am sorry for everything I did, but at the time I didn't really have a choice. I swear to you, I was drugged and tortured. I have the scars to prove it. But please can we go somewhere private, before I show you." after reading it Yang said "Alright, we can go somewhere private but I want my team to join us in case you try something" Neo nodded and typed another message "Thank you for giving me this opportunity, I understand your distrust for me. But, please if you have your team with you. Can I bring Clayton with me, just so I can feel safe?" Yang nodded back "That seems fair, we can go to my room for some privacy."

"Hey Clayton, Neo and I are going to my room so she can prove her story. My team is coming to back me up and Neo asked if you could come to make her feel safe. What do you say?" asked Yang. "I'll come with you, make sure nobody does anything stupid."

"Follow me then you two" Yang said as she waved for her team to join them. The three of them started walking to the room with Blake, Weiss and Ruby quickly catching up with them. "Why is Neo here Yang?" Ruby asked "Well, apparently she was forced into working for Torchwick and Cinder, and now she feels bad about it. She wants to prove that she was forced into it, so we will trust her. Also, she wants to apologize for her actions and start working with us. That's why Rubes" Yang answered. "Oh, but where are we going now?" asked Ruby. "We are going to our room for some privacy, so Neo can show us the scars that she got for being tortured by Roman and Cinder. We need you three and Clayton to come with us, so we don't kill each other." Yang replied.

A concerned Ruby looked at Neo "Did they really do that to you Neo?" she asked softly. Neo looked at her with mismatched eyes full of tears and nodded. Ruby, Weiss and Blake all gasped "That's horrible" said Ruby. "Don't worry Neo, Roman and Cinder are dead now" Blake said trying to reassure the girl, as memories of her time in the White Fang came back to her. "If what you told us is true, then you are welcome here Neo. But if you're lying to us…" Weiss trailed off, unable to think of a threat, and not wanting to upset Neo any further.

When they reached the room Yang entered first, followed by Neo, then by Clayton, and then the three girls. Yang closed the curtains for more privacy and Blake hit the lights. Ruby stood by the window, while Blake and Weiss stayed by the front door, and Clayton stood by the bathroom door. Yang sat on Blake's bed with Neo standing in front of her. "Alright Neo, go ahead and show us." she said softly. Neo nodded and slowly started removing her clothes, everyone expect Yang looked away.

Soon a fully naked Neo stood in front of Yang "Oh...Neo...I'm...so…so...sorry" she said as she took in the horrific site. Neo's body was completely covered in scars from countless cuts, burns and other horrific things. "You can get dressed again Neo" she said sounding shaken. As soon as the girl was decent, Yang threw her arms around Neo and hugged her like she hugged Ruby when she was scared or sad. "You're safe now Neo, we will protect you" she whispered.

Everyone in the room was now looking at them, they were all horrified just from hearing Yang's reaction. Even Clayton who had seen many horrific things in his short life, felt his heart breaking for Neo. "So, it's true then?" asked Weiss although she already knew the answer. "It is" is all Yang said. Blake, Weiss, Ruby and Clayton all joined the hug, all of them wanted to protect Neo.

The hug went on for several minutes in complete silence, with only the occasional sob indicating that any of them were still alive. Then Clayton said "Come on guys, we should get back to the others." They all silently agreed, before getting up from the floor and leaving. Clayton was holding Neo's hand as they left "If anything or anyone ever tries to hurt you, they will have to go through me first" he said to her. She looked up at him, faced still drenched in tears and gave him a smile.


End file.
